Exploring Theology

When was the last time you were satisfied with your prayer life? I suspect that for most of us prayer is something we are never completely satisfied with - we feel like we should be doing more of it, doing it for longer, and doing it with more sincerity.

I don't function very well in Advent. It's not so much because of the liturgical season itself, though the fierce calls for repentance in hymns and liturgy don't exactly raise the spirits. Nor is it because of the inevitable rush to write Christmas cards and wrap parcels before the last date for...

Since moving back to my hometown in Germany, I’ve been reminded of a local Saint who was always in the background of my childhood. Her story is often taught in schools, and her image and name can be found on various regional products and businesses. However, I never really thought about her much...

There are two early St Porphyrios’ celebrated in the Orthodox Church; the first known as ‘the Actor’, martyred under the emperor Aurelian in the third century, and the second known as ‘the Mime’, martyred under Julian the Apostate in the 4th century. Their stories, however, are otherwise...

One of the advantages of studying Christian monastics from the medieval past is that you end up with a long list of favourite saints! One of my favourites is St Hild, abbess of Whitby, trainer of bishops and patron of artists. She lived in the seventh century and her life is briefly documented...

I can’t really remember much about preparing for uni at the beginning of last year. I remember being worried about forgetting something I’d need and seeking out several online checklists to ensure I got hold of it all. Then of course there are other types of preparation, such as applying for...

We all know that we need and should take time to rest but in today’s incredibly busy 24/7 society we all know that it is difficult. I've had a look at what the Bible says and added in some suggestions which have worked for me.

From the Song of Moses to the Our Father and beyond, prayer is shown to be a foundation stone in the Christian faith. We use it, amongst other things, to offer thanks, as a form of petition, and simply in order to maintain a dialogue with the living God. But prayer remains elusive to so many...

I am extremely bad at keeping any sort of positive routine, but I also really like to read about early Church practices. This means I end up trying to do things which would be brilliant for my spiritual discipline and then “forget” about them the second I taste bacon (as my weekly fast...

When I was growing up, I was told two things about Lent: first, you’ve got to give up something that’s bad for you; second, you shouldn’t resume whatever it was you gave up once Lent was over. Since I started university, I have wondered if these things are true.